Title: All Over The Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft
Author: Geraldine DeRuiter
Publication: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Public Affairs
Genre: Travel
Pages: 288
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Geraldine DeRuiter is the latter. But she won’t let that stop her.
Hilarious, irreverent, and heartfelt, All Over the Place chronicles the years Geraldine spent traveling the world after getting laid off from a job she loved. Those years taught her a great number of things, though the ability to read a map was not one of them. She has only a vague idea of where Russia is, but she now understands her Russian father better than ever before. She learned that what she thought was her mother’s functional insanity was actually an equally incurable condition called “being Italian.” She learned what it’s like to travel the world with someone you already know and love–how that person can help you make sense of things and make far-off places feel like home. She learned about unemployment and brain tumors, lost luggage and lost opportunities, and just getting lost in countless terminals and cabs and hotel lobbies across the globe. And she learned that sometimes you can find yourself exactly where you need to be–even if you aren’t quite sure where you are.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I am all about travelogues. I figure if I can’t travel at this point in time then I certainly can travel from the comfort of my couch. The title of this one drew me in. All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love and Petty Theft. It piqued my interest. If I can get my travel fix from my couch I am all about that.
First off this is non-fiction. The story begins as the author, Geraldine, is about to lose her job. The company she works for is about to go under. What does she do? She leaves for a few week trip around Italy with one of her best friends. She and her friend get severely ill. They spend most of the trip chugging DayQuil and NyQuil. That is until her friend’s cousin suggest they go to Cinque Terra. From there he suggests a hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. An hour later they still haven’t reached their destination. They feel like death. After another hour they come to Monterosso and any angst they hold towards their cousin vanishes. Their breath is taken away. They are struck speechless. It is the most amazing view they have ever seen in their lives. Certainly one they will never forget. When they return home, Geraldine loses her job for real. Two weeks later she marries the love of her life, Rand. It was Rand who suggests that she start a Travel Blog now that she doesn’t have a job. Suddenly she is one of the Top Travel Blogs according to TIME magazine. Just as quickly, her world comes crashing down. She had been battling severe headaches for a long time and recently they have gotten even more debilitating. Stay in bed and not move debilitating. Rand suggests she goes to the Doctor who orders an MRI. The results come back the next morning. Tumor in her brain. They don’t believe it’s cancerous but they want to do a biopsy just to make sure. While the results are non-cancerous and a relief to all, will Geraldine ever get back the life she lived before?
This book really wasn’t what I expected. She does say that in the first few chapters that if you want an honest travelogue then go read Rick Steves. This, as she describes, is a more how not to travel. She cannot get from point A to point B without getting lost. That is really the only reason I gave it 4 stars. That it wasn’t the Travelogue I was expecting. With that being said it is still a good book. I laughed until I cried a few times. She does drop a fair amount of F bombs so if you have an aversion to that then, heads up. She writes in a very conversational way. The book was a quick and easy read. She writes real and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I have already signed up for her blog The Everywhereist. I can’t wait to read it!
STAR RATING: 4/5
You can get your copy of All Over the Place today on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Also add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and stay tuned for more from Geraldine Deruiter.
